Kajabi vs Skool vs Systeme.io: what you really pay at $1k, $5k, $20k and $50k a month
All three sell courses or memberships, but they charge in different ways. Kajabi charges a high flat fee and no revenue share. Skool charges a low fee plus a percentage of every sale. Systeme.io is free or cheap, and your payment processor takes its normal cut. The table adds the plan price to the transaction fees at four monthly sales levels.
Price disclosure: prices at the time of writing (October 29, 2026), from each tool’s official pricing page. If you’re reading this at a later date, the prices may have changed. This page has no affiliate links. Our reviews linked below may contain affiliate links, and each one says so next to the link.
Monthly cost at four revenue levels
| Plan + fees (monthly billing) | $1,000/mo sales | $5,000/mo | $20,000/mo | $50,000/mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Systeme.io Startup ($17/mo) + Stripe 2.9% + 30¢ | $52 | $192 | $717 | $1,767 |
| Skool Hobby ($9/mo) + 10% Skool fee | $109 | $509 | $2,009 | $5,009 |
| Skool Pro ($99/mo) + 2.9% Skool fee | $128 | $244 | $679 | $1,549 |
| Kajabi Basic ($179/mo) + Kajabi Payments 2.9% + 30¢ | $214 | $354 | $879 | $1,929 |
| Kajabi Growth ($249/mo) + Kajabi Payments 2.8% + 30¢ | $283 | $419 | $929 | $1,949 |
| Kajabi Pro ($499/mo) + Kajabi Payments 2.7% + 30¢ | $532 | $664 | $1,159 | $2,149 |
Cheapest on our math: Systeme.io Startup at $1,000; Systeme.io Startup at $5,000; Skool Pro at $20,000; Skool Pro at $50,000.
Assumptions (our math, not the vendors’)
- US cards, monthly billing, and a $50 average order, so $1,000 = 20 orders and $50,000 = 1,000 orders. The 30¢ per-order charge depends on that number.
- Kajabi uses Kajabi Payments (US rates printed on kajabi.com/pricing). Kajabi lists no revenue share. Kajabi Basic is capped at 5 products and 2,500 contacts, so a bigger business may need Growth or Pro.
- Skool: the fee is the “transaction fee” shown on skool.com/pricing. Skool’s pricing page does not say whether card processing is included, so it could cost more.
- Systeme.io: Startup ($17, up to 5,000 contacts) plus Stripe’s standard US rate of 2.9% + 30¢ (stripe.com/pricing). Systeme.io lists 0% transaction fees. Its free plan has $0 platform cost but caps you at 2,000 contacts and 1 course.
- Excludes taxes, currency conversion, international cards, add-ons and yearly discounts. Yearly billing: Kajabi $143 / $199 / $399 a month; Systeme.io and Skool show a “2 months free” yearly option.
Pick X if
- Pick Systeme.io if you are starting out or selling under about $1,000 a month. The free plan (2,000 contacts, 3 funnels, 1 course, no card) or Startup at $17 gives you funnels, email and courses for the least money. Read our Systeme.io review.
- Pick Skool if the product is a paid community with courses and live calls. Hobby ($9 + 10%) is fine while sales are small. Switch to Pro ($99 + 2.9%) once sales pass about $1,270 a month. Read our Skool review.
- Pick Kajabi if you already sell and want the website, email, funnels, community, checkout and (on Pro) a branded app in one login, with no revenue share. It is the most expensive of the three at every level in our table. Read our Kajabi review.
We have not tested any of these hands-on for this comparison. No tool can promise sales or income.
FAQ
Which is cheapest: Kajabi, Skool or Systeme.io?
On our math (US cards, $50 average order, monthly billing, prices checked October 29, 2026), Systeme.io Startup is cheapest at $1,000 a month in sales (about $52 all-in). From $5,000 a month Skool Pro comes out cheapest (about $244 at $5,000), because Skool lists a flat 2.9% fee with no per-order charge. Kajabi Basic costs $179 a month before card fees. Skool does not say on its pricing page whether card processing is included in its fee.
Does Kajabi take a cut of sales?
Kajabi says it takes no revenue share. You still pay card processing: in the US, Kajabi Payments is 2.9% + $0.30 on Basic, 2.8% + $0.30 on Growth and 2.7% + $0.30 on Pro. With a third-party processor Kajabi adds 2%, 1% or 0.5% by plan (PayPal and Kajabi Payments excluded).
What does Skool charge?
Skool's pricing page lists two plans: Hobby at $9 a month with a 10% transaction fee, and Pro at $99 a month with a 2.9% transaction fee. Both list unlimited members, courses, videos and live calls. Prices checked October 29, 2026.
Is Systeme.io really free?
Systeme.io has a free plan with up to 2,000 contacts, 3 sales funnels and 1 course, with no credit card required. Paid plans are Startup $17, Webinar $47 and Unlimited $97 a month. Systeme.io lists 0% transaction fees; your payment processor (for example Stripe at 2.9% + 30¢ in the US) still charges its own fee.
Which one should a beginner pick?
If you have not sold anything yet, start on Systeme.io's free plan or Skool Hobby at $9 a month. Move to Skool Pro once community sales pass roughly $1,270 a month, the point where its 2.9% fee beats Hobby's 10%. Kajabi makes sense when you want website, email, funnels, community and a branded app in one paid login.
Sources (checked October 29, 2026)
- Kajabi pricing
- Skool pricing
- Systeme.io pricing (page says last updated April 2026)
- Stripe pricing (US standard card rate)